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Forum:2005-03-04. (Fanfic) Shipping and Handling - Phoebe Heyerdahl, by King Cheetah
King Cheetah, 04/03/2005 12:07 AM :Shipping and Handling - Phoebe Heyerdahl Oft when putting pen to parchment in the noble endevour of fanfic, one can tire after tale upon tale of the perfect Arnold and Helga romance and be tempted to tales of a few of the lesser stars of the show, and who better that Helga's best friend and accomplice to numerous count of breaking and entering, Phoebe Heyerdahl. Only daughter to Kiyo and Rheba Heyerdahl, she is a bright, studious, but socially awkward nine year old who until the introduction of Lila Sawyer, was the smartest forth grader of PS 118. For stories set contemporaneously with the show, Phoebe will no doubt be found aiding Helga in her latest scheme or prank. But if one were to spin the clock forward and set your stories in middle or high school, how might Phoebe turn out? 1) "Wonder Bras only work SO well..." Phoebe, meet puberty. Being a slim, petite young thing, it's easy to imagine her staying that way into her teens... or her thirties. This has lots of story potential both tragic and comic, from ugly duckling stories to Rhonda's nitwit attempts to "fix" her. The show as is shows Phoebe as somewhat insecure and that would go along way to explain her friendship with Helga. Meek, mousy Phoebe, secure in the personal safety zone of Helga, whom no other forth grader will cross. To add insult to injury, Helga would probably be drop dead gorgeous in high school. Poor Phoebe.... 2) "I was a genius... in fifth grade." I myself was a straight "A" student until sixth grade, when I hit the wall and began my academic career as a straight "C" student until graduation. And I wasn't the only one. So what if brilliant Phoebe finds that sometime around sixth or seventh grade that she's no longer having such an easy time of it, and adding to her compulsive need to excel, a tougher course load in high school could tip her over the edge. Goth Phoebe, anyone? Suddenly her world is SO unfair and no one understands what she's going through. Or you could have her trying to compensate through social connections (Rhonda's right-hand girl) or other outlets like sports(girljock). Lots of pathos potential. 3) "You're my best friend... just not in public." Relationship going into high school are a tricky thing even in the best of times, but for Phoebe I can see it being especially choppy. First off, I see NO future for Phoebe and Gerald, and evidently the shows writers agree. The fifth season of Hey Arnold show few instances of Phoebe and Gerald together (in contrast to the previous seasons), and Gerald is noticeably absent from a few episodes. Phoebe's Little Problem was rather startling in this regard in that not only was Gerald not making any effort to help Phoebe deal with her social stigma, Arnold WAS (Hmmmm, romance in the air?). And Helga will probably go from protector to buddy, or maybe not even that. So then, what new friendships and/or romances might she have in her future? Outside of introducing new characters, it's fairly easy to see her hooking up with any of the current female cast; She'd share Nadine's inquisitive, natural scientific curiosity, Sheena's social sensibilities, Rhonda's popularity, or oddly enough Lila's good natured company (who is allegedly as good a student as Phoebe, so she might just have someone on her level). As for the guys, Park, Robert, and Park are almost blank slates onto which you could create any sort of boyfriend for her that you like. Sid might clean up pretty good, and Phoebe might just be the thing in his life to calm him down a bit. Curly might just be less of a loon in high school, but would definitely prove that opposites attract. And then there's Arnold... ^__^ So there you have it; a lot of good possibilities if you'd like to try something outside of the usual Arnold/Helga stories. Anyone have any other thoughts on this? ---- Jennifurface, 29/04/2005 8:10 PM :I know it's been nearly two months since you posted this, but after reading your other "Shipping and Handling" posts, I decided to reread this one. :First off, I see NO future for Phoebe and Gerald, and evidently the shows writers agree. The fifth season of Hey Arnold show few instances of Phoebe and Gerald together (in contrast to the previous seasons), and Gerald is noticeably absent from a few episodes. Phoebe's Little Problem was rather startling in this regard in that not only was Gerald not making any effort to help Phoebe deal with her social stigma, Arnold WAS (Hmmmm, romance in the air?). :Well, I, for one, think it could work out. True, there were no "Phoebe and Gerald" moments late in the series' run, but there were enough early on to convince me - and many others - that they were meant for each other. I'm one of those old-fashioned types who prefers to think of the characters as they were in the early years of the show, not the later ones (although I didn't start watching HA! from the very beginning). Besides, who else could Phoebe wind up with, based on the evidence from the show? Arnold? Helga would never forgive Phoebe! Giuseppe from "Grand Prix"? He was a one-shot character! :Of course, we're talking about fanfic, where anything is possible, but let's make it believeable. Regarding whom you suggested, Park or Robert might work, but I think it would be boring to pair a well-rounded character like Phoebe with a "blank slate" like one of them. Sid I cannot see with Phoebe, especially considering that there's far less Sid/Phoebe interaction in the series than Gerald/Phoebe. Curly I'd rather pair with Rhonda. :) As for Arnold...well, I've already stated why I do NOT think they would work. :) :Park, Robert, and Park are almost blank slates onto which you could create any sort of boyfriend for her that you like. :There are two Parks? Why didn't anyone tell me? :) :Jennifurface :"Uh, I really would prefer not to have to kiss a girl." ---- King Cheetah, 29/04/2005 8:43 PM :Thanks for the reply! ^__^ Let's take this point by point: It's certainly possible that Gerald & Phoebe might just make it as a couple, but as I said, the show's writers and directors seem to lose interest in the idea in season five, the same season that they RE-ENFORCED the idea of Arnold/Helga (Married) and Rhonda/Curly(Curly's Girl) pairings. Not only is Gerald AWOL in "Phoebe's Little Problem" (he's IN the episode, just not dealing with Phoebe in any capacity, and don't think the writers somehow missed it), there's the little matter of "Gerald vs. Jamie O". Not much thinking of Phoebe in that episode, is there? Who could Phoebe end up with? Quick answer--> ANYONE! Remember, all the cast (except Harold) are only NINE YEARS OLD. ^__^ Even if Phoebe and Arnold became an item, it hardly means it's perminant, even in high school. I'm currently working on something right now covering just this cirumstance. Ruth McDougal and Lila are one thing, but if Phoebe hooked up with Arnold, I think Helga would have some REAL soul serching to do. Helga genuinely loves Phoebe and when motivated, would give her the world on a plate (Phoebe Breaks a Leg). Would she set her own happiness aside to give Phoebe joy? I'd say yeah. Also, we've been shown in several episodes that Phoebe has a real dark side ("Phoebe Cheats" , "Phoebe Breaks A Leg"), so what say she hooks up with Arnold to force Helga to quit screwing around and finally tell Arnold how she feels about him... again. Oh well, I guess the movie doesn't count. ^__^ Lastly, don't take the characters in the show as written in stone. Who you are in forth grade isn't always who you are in tenth grade. Some of the guys could really straighten up, or go through some serious life changes (that ole devil puberty). It's pretty much an open fiend. You said it yourself, anything's possible in fanfic, and it's all a matter of how you set the situation up. ^__- Oh yeah, and I meant Park, Robert, and Joey. Keep readin', keep writin'! ---- Manolo, 30/04/2005 6:47 PM :Hi King Cheeta: :I have seen your post in yahoo and fanfiction, so I want to respond it here :And about your other comments: :1) "Wonder Bras only work SO well..." :Yes, Phoebe could be an ugly duckling compared to Helga, but Helga's social skills are very low, lower than Phoebe, so it would be only Phoebes insecurities in her relationship with Helga, and Helga, being her, could be totally oblivious about this. :2) "I was a genius... in fifth grade. :Maybe you could be right: I see Phoebe as a repressed girl that likes to study and sees to be the best in the class like the only thing that gives her an identity. If she loses that, she could feel lost, but there could be new possibilities... like helping Ernie in the demolition industry! :3) You´re my best friend... just not in public :About your Gerald/Phoebe comments, I think that you could be wrong: is true that in the last season tere were less Gerald / Phoebe relationship, but Gerald/Chloe was more about the relationship Gerald/Jamie O, and remember that, in the Movie, Gerald holds Phoebe in his arms just before Eugene makes his "melodramatic" entrance! :And about Helga/Phoebe friendship, yes, could be something tricky be in high school with the same relationship, because Helga is so mean with all those that she loves, and I think that what Phoebe, repressed, smart, quiet Phoebe, likes about Helga, is that Helga always do what she want to do and never thinks about the rest of the world. But Phoebe is Helga best and only friend, and we must recognize it: Phoebe can make new friends, but Helga is difficult to be friend. :Thanks, and please excuse my bad english. :Alberto (Number6) ---- Greenorbs2, 13/05/2005 4:51 PM :My belief is that every fanfic is unique in it's author's creative abilities, no matter how each character reacts or who that character is paired with. Give each writer a chance to experiment with his/her own imagination.